“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
These verses in Matthew 7 have been the subject of many sermons across the world. They have been applied to many contexts. I believe that is the genius of the Bible.
Today, as I read about another potential government shutdown and recall accompanying posts about past shutdowns, I am reminded of these verses, along with another in Matthew 25:
“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
This and the preceding verses focus on how we treat the poor or, in today’s words, those in lower socioeconomic conditions. When the government shuts down, there are very few groups of Americans that are hurt more than the poor. During the last, record-breaking closure, one of the primary stories was the potential ending of SNAP benefits. Sadly, I saw more and more social media posts and even prominent politicians come out and demonize those on SNAP. One politician suggested we need to bring shame to welfare again. Others lamented the number of people receiving assistance. There was even a resurgence of age-old stereotypes about certain demographics that was supported by artificial intelligence videos showing these individuals acting in an outrageous manner over losing assistance. I can only assume that the creators of these videos felt that was a way to garner support for reducing and/or eliminating this type of taxpayer support.
As a human being, I will admit that I find it frustrating when I loan someone money that they use irresponsibly or I see people need to accept help from others due to their irresponsible choices.
However, the Christian in me understands that I am saved by His grace. That I have received many blessings that I did not deserve. Therefore, it is important that I do the right thing for my own heart.
I recognize that there is a certain wisdom to forcing someone to make better choices. As parents, we do this all the time. However, I worry that some of the actions and statements we are seeing are not about forcing better choices. If they were, they would be accompanied by guided assistance just as we provide our children. Instead, I worry that this is more about not wanting to help the poor. It is more about ensuring that we do not have to sacrifice any of our funds for someone else.
This is a scary thought, for I believe these actions are putting us in a position to judge. And as Matthew 7 says, we will also be judged. I believe that the Good Lord is looking at how we treat people—specifically the least of these.
The demonizing, the lack of empathy, as well as the arrogance that those in better positions are so superior in their decision-making and ability that they will not one day be in need—could lead to a great downfall.
It is bad enough for us, as individual humans, to make these types of judgments in our individual lives. However, when we, as a country, collectively place these negative concepts of the poor, or as the Bible says—the least of these—in our national and local legislation and policies, I worry that as great of a country as we have, we will be judged harshly.
The Everyday Human 